NOVEL EXERCISE AND SPORTING APPARATUS
A novel exercise and sporting apparatus with improved safety features is disclosed. In preferred embodiments, the apparatus comprises: a first resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to securely engage with a foot receiving member; a second resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to contact a ground surface; a connection element being configured to connect an end zone of the first resilient arched member with an end zone of the second resilient arched member, and a rotation-opposing assembly extending from the connection element toward a ground surface, the rotation-opposing assembly being configured to limit an amount of rotational motion of the apparatus.
The present application is a non-provisional of, and claims priority to, co-pending provisional patent application Nos. 61/827,719 and 61/869,906 filed on May 27, 2013 and Aug. 26, 2013 respectively. The entire contents of both above-referenced patent applications are incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to the field of sporting and exercise equipment and in particular to novel exercising and sporting footwear apparatuses.
BACKGROUNDSporting and exercise footwear are well known in the art. In particular, boots which contain a spring mechanism are known to absorb impact forces, increase muscle, and build cardiovascular performance. This bouncing footwear typically is used for physical fitness routines that incorporate bouncing, jumping, and plyometric exercises.
Bouncing footwear devices are known in the art as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,374 issued to Lekhtman et al on Jan. 8, 1985. As shown by this patent, the main unit has a spring member that is permanently attached to the foot receiving member. This can be inconvenient especially during storage and transport and prevents individual components from being replaced. Also, the layers which form the spring member are attached to each other and to an adjustment mechanism not capable of disassembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,798 granted to Gregory Lekhtman on Apr. 27, 1993, describes a sporting and exercising device comprising a foot receiving portion and a spring portion detachably attached to the bottom face of the foot receiving portion. A major drawback of this sporting and exercising device is that the spring portion collapses after about 7 centimeters (cm) (out of about 13 cm) of deformation by compression and lacks a smooth even elasticity. This reduces the ability to absorb increasing higher impact energies, thereby reducing the available bouncing power.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,148 granted to Denis Naville on Jul. 1, 1997 describes a sporting and exercising device comprising an upper foot-receiving portion and a lower spring portion. However, the resilient shock absorbing bodies disclosed prevent the spring portion from further collapse after a certain deformation by compression has been reached. A major drawback of this device is that the lower spring layer easily disassembles during higher impacts even on level surfaces. When a user is running in the device and accidentally engages the safety, the bottom layer disassembles causing the user to fall and or break ankles from landing on the disassembled top portion of the device.
Another drawback of this device is that there are only four resilient shock absorbers. This limits the return energy after an impact so the user is not able to maximize their bounce or rebound. Also, the shock absorbers are situated in the center of the elastic band and when the boot compresses it compromises the lateral stability of the device which results in the device unstably rocking left or right causing the user to easily disengage the lower spring layer. Another drawback is that the upper foot receiving portion sits completely flat on the lower spring portion. This forces the user's foot to stay in a forced flexed position throughout an exercise session which is extremely uncomfortable for the user causing the boot to rub against the skin.
A further drawback of the device is that it is extremely heavy creating a tendency for users to drag their feet while using the device. This leads to improperly compression of the device and decreases the life of the device and it's parts.
Another drawback is that the four resilient shock absorbers are slid into place which means under the repeated force of compressing the unit the shock absorbers have a high chance of sliding out resulting in failure of the unit which could cause potentially fatal harm to the user. Another major drawback is that the bottom tread on the lower layer does not extend a significant length of the ground contacting surface. If a user leans too far forward or too far back the tread may cease to contact the ground causing the user to skid on the exposed plastic shell and possibly fall injuring themselves. Another drawback of the device is that if a user does not have good balance or strong stability muscles they can fall forward if they go too far forward in the device or fall back if they go too far back in the device. There is nothing physically on the shoe such as a brake to prevent falling forward or falling back making users uncomfortable and afraid to try the device.
Based on the above-mentioned drawbacks, there is a strong need in the field for new and improved advanced sporting and exercise footwear devices. There is a further need for devices and apparatuses that are able to promote user safety and confidence. There is also a need for footwear apparatuses capable of being reconfigured for different activities and for replacement or substitution of the various components.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is one aspect of the present invention to provide a novel exercise and sporting footwear apparatus designed to allow the user to perform jumping and bouncing activities. In preferred embodiments, the apparatus comprises: a first resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to securely engage with a foot receiving member; a second resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to contact a ground surface; a connection element being configured to connect an end zone of the first resilient arched member with an end zone of the second resilient arched member, and further comprising a rotation-opposing assembly extending from the connection element toward a ground surface, the rotation-opposing assembly being configured to limit an amount of rotational motion of the apparatus.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a novel exercise and sporting footwear apparatus designed to be able to be reconfigured to accomplish a variety of different exercising activities. In other preferred embodiments, the apparatus comprises a boot accessory, wherein the boot accessory comprises an interface assembly configured to slidably and temporarily secure to a complementary interface assembly of a foot receiving member. In this regard, the apparatus of the present invention is able to connect and mate with a plurality of different sporting and exercise attachments such as rollerblades, ice skates, skis, snowboards, snow shoes, etc. and the like.
Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
It should be understood that for the purposes of understanding the orientation of individual elements of the invention, the term “front” shall generally be used to indicate the positioning of a member or an element that when assembled in an exercise and sporting footwear apparatus is positioned substantially closer to the toe area of the footwear apparatus than to the heel area.
It should also be understood that for the purposes of understanding the orientation of individual elements of the invention, the terms “rear” and “back” shall generally be used to indicate the positioning of a member or an element that when assembled in an exercise and sporting footwear apparatus is positioned substantially closer to the heel area of the footwear apparatus than to the toe box.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
New exercise and sporting footwear apparatuses are discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
The present invention will now be described by example and through referencing the appended figures representing preferred and alternative embodiments.
A front connection element 106 and rear connection element 106 are configured to removably secure the first resilient arched member 102 and the second resilient arched member 104 of the boot accessory 300 in the embodiment shown by
Still referring to
The rotation opposing assemblies 108 may comprise lateral extension region 108C and a ground contacting region 108D both of which may be formed integral to rotation opposing assembly 108 or may be removably connected or secured to rotation opposing assembly 108. In some embodiments, the lateral extension regions 108C of various lengths may be temporarily or permanently attached to the rotational assembly 108 to position replaceable ground contacting regions 108D closer or further from the ground surface (
Turning now to
In this embodiment, a second interface assembly 201, comprising two or more male side walls 202, is configured to be temporarily attached to the first resilient arched member 102. In preferred embodiments, the second interface assembly 201 is configured to be permanently attached or integrally formed into the first resilient arched member 102.
In this example, the second interface assembly 201 located on the upper surface of the first resilient arched member 102 of this particular boot accessories 300 may be temporarily secured to a first interface assembly 901 of the foot receiving member 900. In preferred embodiments, both the second interface assembly 201 and the first interface assembly 901 may be made from rigid and durable materials such as metal alloys, hard plastics, ceramics, carbon fiber, or any other suitable material. Also in preferred embodiments, one or more plate covers 905 are positioned over the first interface assembly 901 and attached to the sole region of the foot receiving member 900 to provide a non-slip surface for the user to walk on when wearing the foot receiving member 900 without an attached boot accessory 300. Suitable materials for the plate covers 905 include rubber, silicone, soft plastics, or any other material comprising the soles of footwear. In preferred embodiments, the first interface assembly 901 is integrally formed or permanently attached to the foot receiving member 900. In other embodiments, the first interface assembly 901 is temporarily attached to the foot receiving member 900 with a plurality of fasteners such as screw type, rivet type, and the like.
The second interface assembly 201 is configured to slidably engage into a recessed opening 902 which is preferably formed by a substantially “C” shaped first interface assembly 901 which comprises two or more female side walls 903 which may be angled as shown by the figures. The female side walls 903 engage the complementary shaped male side walls 202 so that the boot accessory 300 may only be disengaged from the foot receiving member 900 by sliding each piece in opposite directions and preferably by sliding the boot accessory 300 in a lateral direction away from the foot receiving member 900.
In preferred embodiments, the sliding motion as discussed above is prevented by inserting a fastener 400 through a fastener aperture which passes through the first resilient arched member 102, the second interface assembly 201, and into the sole area of the foot receiving member 900. The fastener 400 is preferably a threaded type fastener that may be tightened and loosened without the need for tools. In some embodiments, two or more fasteners 400 may be used to temporarily secure the boot accessory 300 to the foot receiving member 900 and may be made from rigid and durable materials such as metal alloys, hard plastics, ceramics, carbon fiber, or any other suitable material.
As perhaps best illustrated in
Turning now to
Once the second interface assembly 201 is slidably engaged (i.e. slides into and is held in place) with the first interface assembly 901 as shown in
Still referring to
To attach a disengaged footwear receiving member 900 and a boot accessory 300 (
To detach an engaged footwear receiving member 900 and a boot accessory 300 (
Turning now to
Also depicted in
In preferred embodiments and as shown by
The impact absorbing members 110 may comprise various shapes as illustrated in three exemplary embodiments depicted in
Referring now to
Another example of a self balancing tread 120 according to various embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a first resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to securely couple with a foot receiving member;
- a second resilient arched member having two opposite end zones, and being configured to contact a ground surface;
- a connection element being configured to connect an end zone of the first resilient arched member with an end zone of the second resilient arched member, and;
- a rotation-opposing assembly extending from the connection element toward a ground surface, the rotation-opposing assembly being configured to limit an amount of rotational motion of the apparatus.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a front end zone and a rear end zone being longitudinal spaced apart from the front end zone wherein the rotation-opposing assembly includes: a first rotation-opposing assembly being located proximate to the connection element at the front end zone; and a second rotation-opposing assembly being located proximate to the connection element at the rear end zone.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, where the connection element includes a first connection element and a second connection element being longitudinal spaced apart from the first connection element; and
- first rotation-opposing assembly comprises a lateral extension region being configured to extend laterally out and away from the first connection element and a ground contacting region being configured to extend vertically below said lateral extension region;
- second rotation-opposing assembly comprising a lateral extension region being configured to extend laterally out and away from second connection element; and a ground contacting region being configured to extend vertically below said lateral extension region.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
- the first rotation-opposing assembly forms the terminal end of an elongate tension member at the front end zone; and
- the second rotation-opposing assembly forms the terminal end of the elongate tension member at the rear end zone.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially flat planer surface configured to contact the ground.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially round surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:
- the first rotation-opposing assembly is removably connected to the terminal end of an elongate tension member at the first connection element; and
- the second rotation-opposing assembly is removably connected to the terminal end of the elongate tension member at the second connection element.
8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially flat planer surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: wherein the first resilient arched member contains a second interface assembly on its upper surface configured to removably connect with a first interface assembly of the foot receiving member.
10. The apparatus according to claim 2, where connection element includes a first connection element and a second connection element being spaced apart from the first connection element; and
- a first rotation-opposing assembly comprises a lateral extension region being configured to extend laterally out and away from the first connection element and a ground contacting region being configured to extend vertically below said lateral extension region;
- a second rotation-opposing assembly comprising a lateral extension region being configured to extend laterally out and away from second connection element; and a ground contacting region being configured to extend vertically below said lateral extension region.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:
- the first rotation-opposing assembly forms the terminal end of an elongate tension member and first connection element at the front end zone; and
- the second rotation-opposing assembly forms the terminal end of the elongate tension member and second connection element at the rear end zone.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially flat planer surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
13. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially round surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:
- the first rotation-opposing assembly is removably connected to the terminal end of a first connection element at the front end zone; and
- the second rotation-opposing assembly is removably connected to the terminal end of a second connection element at the rear end zone.
15. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially flat planer surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein: the ground contacting region terminates with a substantially round surface configured to contact the ground to oppose further rotational movement of the first resilient arched member.
17. A connection apparatus for selectively securing a foot receiving member to a boot accessory, the apparatus comprising:
- a foot receiving member being configured to receive the foot of a person and having a first interface assembly comprising a first female sidewall and second female sidewall whereby said first and said second female sidewalls form the opposite ends of a recessed opening of the first interface assembly;
- a boot accessory having a second interface assembly comprising a first male sidewall and a second male sidewall whereby said first and said second male sidewalls form opposite ends of the perimeter of the second interface assembly and said second interface assembly configured to protrude from the boot accessory; and
- the first interface assembly and the second interface assembly being configured to selectively connect and disconnect with each other.
18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a fastener adapted to threadably secure said first interface assembly and said second interface assembly.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a plate cover made of a non-slip material with treads configured to provide support and tracking for the foot receiving member.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:
- the first female side wall is sloped at a first angle relative to the sole of the foot receiving member and the second female sidewall is sloped at a second angle relative to the sole of the foot receiving member; and
- said first male side wall is sloped at an angle corresponding to said first angle and said second male side wall is sloped at an angle corresponding to said second angle.
Type: Application
Filed: May 26, 2014
Publication Date: Nov 27, 2014
Patent Grant number: 9399153
Inventor: Mario Green (New York, NY)
Application Number: 14/287,121